The bounty format’s momentum shows no sign of slowing down. More than ten years after Progressive Knockouts (PKOs) began transforming tournament poker, PokerStars is once again putting them in the spotlight with the return of its Bounty Builder Series (BBS).
The series kicks off on November 16 and runs until December 1, featuring 169 tournaments and over $12.5 million in total guaranteed prizes. Every single event follows some form of bounty structure — a testament to how deeply the format has become embedded in modern online poker.
The Evolution of a Modern Classic
Since its introduction in 2018, the Bounty Builder Series has been PokerStars’ tribute to knockout poker. Originally boasting guarantees of $20 million or more, the series peaked during the online poker boom but remains one of the room’s key highlights each year.
While total guarantees have gradually dropped, the variety has expanded. The new schedule offers an extensive mix of PKO and Mystery Bounty (MBT) tournaments:
- 146 PKOs (≈86%)
- 23 Mystery Bounties (≈14%)
Buy-ins start at $5.50 and reach as high as $5,200, giving both casual and high-stakes players a reason to jump in.
Headliners & Highlights
- Main Event – $109 buy-in, $1M guaranteed (PKO) – Sunday, November 30
- High Roller Main Event – $1,050 buy-in, $500K guaranteed (PKO)
- Sunday Specials – $75 buy-in, $400K guaranteed each (November 16 and 23; the second runs as a Mystery Bounty)
- PLO Main Event – $215 buy-in, $50K guaranteed
The BBS also embraces a wide range of poker variants beyond No-Limit Hold’em. Players will find Pot-Limit Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, 5-Card Omaha, and mixed formats such as HORSE, 8-Game, Badugi, and 2-7 Single Draw — more diversity than any other regulated operator currently offers.
Qualify from Pennies & Win Tickets
Players can qualify via satellites starting from $1.10 or through Power Path entries beginning at $0.50. PokerStars is also giving away $150,000 worth of Main Event entries through its long-running Ticket Machine promotion — a simple, lottery-style system that rewards regular play with free seats.
Still the Home of Knockouts
While other major operators have joined the bounty trend — with GGPoker, ACR Poker, and iPoker all hosting multi-million-dollar series of their own — PokerStars continues to set the standard for regulated online poker.
The Bounty Builder Series has now appeared more than a dozen times across PokerStars’ global and regional platforms, including Southern Europe and the US. It remains the clearest example of how a single tournament format can evolve, diversify, and keep players coming back year after year.
From $5.50 buy-ins to $5K high rollers, from classic PKOs to modern Mystery Bounties — every elimination counts double.
The Bounty Builder Series runs November 16 – December 1 exclusively on PokerStars.
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